


birthday wishes

by giftedsun



Category: Love Live! School Idol Festival (Video Game), Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Fluff, I LOVE KOTONICO, Nico's Birthday 2018, it's happy in the end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2019-06-14 22:53:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15399315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/giftedsun/pseuds/giftedsun
Summary: Nico's birthdays, from her 19th to her 22th.





	birthday wishes

 On her nineteenth birthday, Nico Yazawa wakes up to the washed-out ceiling of a hotel room. 

Her back aches from the cheap mattress, and yet, she can’t stop herself from smiling as she rolls across the bed. As Nico sits up, itchy sheets shifting down her short legs, she grabs her phone. The display beams at her, displaying a notification.

**You have 7 new messages.**

Each member of  μ’s has left her a text message. Most clock in at right around midnight, except for Rin’s, because she fell asleep. Nico smiles and tries to ignore the sadness she feels when she remembers the last time they were together. She wants them to be here for this. More than anything.

Of course, one member hasn’t sent her a message. 

It isn’t surprising. 

Nico shouldn’t be surprised.

But somehow, it still hurts to see that Maki Nishikino hasn’t even bothered to wish her a happy birthday.

 

The day passes slowly, slowly, slowly. Nico puts her hair in the classic twintails, she gets dressed in one of those floofy idol dresses. She’s supposed to stay in the hotel room all day long, according to her manager, it builds the suspense for the performance. 

Nico plays old μ’s songs, blasting tracks from her tinny phone speaker, dancing all around the tiny hotel room. Her feet carry her though choreography she wishes she was performing alongside 8 others.

Showtime comes faster than she expects it to. Before Nico knows it, she’s standing on the stage, in front of millions of people.

Well. Not millions.

She’s not even sure if it’s thousands. 

But Nico’s still standing on the stage. That’s all that matters.

“Nico Nico Nii~! Welcome to—”

She doesn’t falter. She’s Nico Yazawa; she never falters.

But as her scarlet eyes fall on a certain redhead in the crowd, Nico does give a pause.

And then she keeps going. 

“Nico’s Super Birthday Live! Thank you all for coming!”

* * *

 

Her twentieth birthday starts with a hard kiss to her lips.

Nico reaches up to bat her girlfriend away.

“Mak- _ iiiii! _ ” she yelps, drawing out the latter syllable. “Hey, hey, don’t you have something to tell me before all that?” Nico’s lips become a lazy grin as Maki pulls away. 

“Shut up. Nico-chan…” Maki blushes fiercely. She’s still on top of Nico, pinning her down to the bed. If Maki would let her go, Nico knows, she would find her phone blinking with 7 new messages again. 

“I-I-I thought…” Maki stutters, and Nico has to stop herself from laughing in her face, “I could be your… your present.”

The snicker slips out. Maki pouts. 

“Have you been reading Nozomi’s trashy romance novels?” Nico asks coyly, winking at Maki. “Or could you just not resist me?”

Maki’s face matches her hair, at this point. “Is that a no?”

“Well, I mean, it depends on if you can  _ resist  _ me, I might—  _ mmph _ !”

Maki shuts Nico up herself this time.

* * *

 The twenty-first year of Nico’s life begins in darkness. 

The bed is cold. This is her first thought. 

It is not a new one. 

Still, her body rolls to the other side of the bed; It seeks warmth, it seeks some _ one _ to warm her up.

What it finds—?

No one. 

 

Nico rises, she dresses, she makes herself breakfast. The home screen of her phone displays no new messages.

She has to keep reminding herself that it isn’t their fault.

Nozomi’s voice rings in her head. “Nicocchi, it’s just hard, with you two not talking. Everyone is confused. We don’t want to pick sides, you know? So—”

“So you’ll just cut me off.” Nico stares down at her half-eaten plate.  Her voice cuts through the crisp air like a knife. 

“No! We just—”

“Because it’s easier to be around her, right? Because I’m Nico, who’s always too much and too little all at once. She—!” Nico’s voice rises to a yell. People start to look at their table.

“Nicocchi!”

“Do you know what she said to me?” Her voice is a whisper now. She hasn’t looked up from her plate, but now, just barely, Nozomi sees tears slip down her friend’s cheeks. “Right before we finally ended it?”

Nozomi stands up, forcefully. “You can’t make me choose sides, Nico. I love you, but you can’t do this.”

They haven’t spoken since.

Her birthday is cold. Her friends are obsolete. The one “Happy Birthday” she gets (not counting the video message from her family) is half-hearted, at best, and received from the cashier who IDs her at the checkout.

The hours slip by quickly, and before she knows it, it's nearing midnight. She huddles on the couch, idol documentary on the tv, takeout in hand.

_ Nico Nico Nii~! Anata no... _

Nico lets out a shriek, hearing her younger voice echo in front of her. 

It's come from her phone. The screen lights up with a new notification.

**You have 1 new message.**  

Unbidden, her thumb slides her phone open.

She doesn't want it to be from Maki.

So then why does she feel so disappointed?

The text message is from Kotori.

**Kotori: Nico-chan, I know that Nozomi doesn't think we should be choosing sides, but I can't let the day end without telling you. Happy Birthday.**

**I've been thinking of you all day. Can I see you tomorrow? I miss you, Nico...**

* * *

The morning of her twenty-second birthday is of no advent.

The night, however...

Kotori comes to her apartment at 6 pm, exactly. She's always on time. After years of being perpetually late, Nico has had to adjust. Kotori is stunning. She's always been cute, but as she's aged, her beauty has developed into a more mature thing. Nico wants nothing more than to take her by the hand, draw her into the apartment, and guide their lips together.

All of this she would do...

... If she wasn't completely sure this whole 'thing' between her and Kotori was completely platonic.

They've been doing this for a year. Kotori shows up to Nico's apartment, looking gorgeous, and whisks her away for a dazzling night. They eat candlelight dinners, go to performances, tour museums. Never once has Kotori made a move.

They go out other times, of course. None of their daytime ventures tempt Nico quite as much as their nighttime ones.  

"Happy Birthday, Nico."

Nico just smiles, and reaches for Kotori's hand. The other girl looks shocked when Nico grasps her hand, mouth forming a perfect o, before falling into a warm grin. It's so good. It's always so good.

Kotori pulls her down the staircase and into the waiting cab.

The restaurant that Kotori's picked is fantastic. The ambience is warm, the food is delicious, the waiters quick and friendly— but how can she focus on anything but Kotori's amber eyes, blinking at her over the candlelight? It's too much. In the space between the entree and dessert, Nico decides that she has to say something. For better or worse, Kotori has to know.

It takes until Kotori's cheesecake is set on the table for Nico to muster up the courage.

"Kotori?" She asks cautiously, biting into her strawberry shortcake. 

"Aah, Nico-chan!" Kotori cries, making that funny face where she scrunches up her eyes and pretends to be sad. "I have to tell you something, and if I don't get it out now, I never will!"

Nico waves her fork in front of her, a gesture to go on. 

"I've loved our time together. You know that, right?" 

Nico nods the affirmative, but she feels sick to her stomach. Is this what it feels like to be let down easy? Can one do that if you aren't even dating?

"I have to admit something, though. Kotori-chan hasn't been the most honest with her intentions. The real reason I've been taking you out to all these places, why I've been pestering you for the past year," Kotori giggles, "I hoped you would catch on by now. You always were dense, Nico." 

"I want to be with you, Nico. In a romantic way, as a girlfriend, as a partner. To be by your side. If..." Her nerve seems to leave her, and Kotori crumples a bit, "If you'll have me."

Somewhere in this speech, Nico has started crying. 

"Of course. Kotori, of course." 

The smaller girl almost leaps over the table, almost knocks over the candlestick and sends the whole place up in flames. 

"Hold off, Nico!" Kotori's laugh falls like tinkling diamonds. She reaches for Nico's hand again, warming the other girl's cool palm. 

When the bill finally comes, Kotori sets down the bills, and yanks Nico out of her seat. The two bolt out of the restuarant. Kotori immediately pushes Nico into a cool alley.

"Sorry if this is improper, Nico-chan, but I just... don't think I can wait."

"Get down here, Kotori, and kiss me."

She does.

 

 

__

 

**Author's Note:**

> hey..... i love kotonico. if you do too, or if you even liked this fic, consider dropping kudos or a comment! or maybe even leaving me a ko-fi (https://ko-fi.com/giftedsun) or commissioning me (http://giftedsun.tumblr.com/post/174904689187/hi-im-reopening-emergency-commissions-for-ax) www


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